War Academy

After the lessons learned on the first day, William went into great detail about the rules before the second day's competition, with the prohibition of take pill naturally being at the forefront.

What surprised Duke a bit was that William added a special rule - no enhancement of awakened abilities allowed. Some awakened individuals had auxiliary abilities that could boost a person's strength and speed or even reduce pain sensations. This rule was clearly meant to limit the privileges of wealthy students. Some could afford to hire awakened individuals to enhance their abilities in advance. Now, all contestants had to rely on their physical fitness and willpower to complete the race.

After breaking 100 points in original Force, Duke wasn't too concerned about hiding his awakened ability. If William hadn't imposed this rule, he wouldn't have minded using Recovery of Qi to gain another Yuan-Replenishing Pill. Unfortunately, the loophole was sealed.

On that day, Clark finished first, Louisa second, and Duke held his ground in third place.

This time, nobody suspected Duke of cheating; they simply thought he had been lucky, seizing the opportunity presented by the loophole to acquire a Yuan-Replenishing Pill and rapidly advance.

William also understood that Duke hadn't heeded his advice, but he wouldn't waste more words on it.

In the following three days, Clark finished first twice, and Louisa once. Although Duke didn't get another Yuan-Replenishing Pill, he managed to obtain four Yuan-Boosting Pills. These pills had less potent effects, but as William explained, as long as your physique could keep up, you could take them.

With five days left until the exam, William's intense special training finally came to an end. Looking at the elite students who appeared exhausted in the audience, William couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction. No matter how successful you become in the future, you were once obediently trained by me.

Seeing the smiling William on stage, the students shivered in fear. Although it had only been five days, they felt like each day had been a form of torture.

"If you think it's just about running, think again. Some of you might still be slacking off, but starting from the second day, I rode my motorcycle behind you all, and anyone running slowly had a cactus thrown at them! Several students now have sore bottoms from it."

"I know that you've all been hating me these days, but don't worry, you'll thank me in the future."

William smiled as he scanned the crowd, his gaze stopping on Clark, Louisa, and Duke. He was a former soldier with an intermediate-level awakened ranking, and he had seen many children of high-ranking officers with remarkable talents. However, he had no intention of discussing this now. Let these students enjoy the warmth of campus life for a while.

"All of you have worked hard. Now, let me brief you on this year's enrollment situation," William said.

Principal Angus had been secretly monitoring the training progress of these students and now stepped forward.

"All of you here are striving to enter the War Academy, as we all know, our country currently has 32 War Academies!"

"Last year, the admission cutoff was 95 points in original Force. I estimate that this year, it won't exceed 97."

"Don't lose heart if you have less than 95 points. If your performance in academic courses is good enough, we can lower the standards."

At the mention of the War Academy, everyone in the audience displayed an eager expression. In J City, knowing an awakened individual was a prestigious matter, but what if you attended the War Academy? Make your friends and family proud as well.

"On behalf of the school, I announce that, in addition to what has been mentioned earlier, there are cash rewards for those who break a hundred points on the testing day. For those who get into the War Academy, each will receive one million dollars."

" Furthermore, there are four top-tier War Academies.MW, DJ, LN, BR. If you can get into these four regional War Academies, you'll receive an additional one million dollars."

Several students from average backgrounds had their eyes widen upon hearing this. However, most students had a clear understanding. The four top-tier academies had incredibly high admission requirements. If you didn't awaken, you needed 147 points in original Force. Even if you were an awakened individual, you needed to score above 120. In other words, the four top-tier academies were looking for absolute geniuses. Combined, they admitted just over two thousand students from the entire country each year.

Half an hour later, Angus and William finished announcing the rewards and left.

"Students, today I'll treat you all to a meal," Danny said, extending an invitation. Many students gladly accepted, but when he looked at Duke, Louisa, and others in the distance, Danny furrowed his brow and asked Viola, "Viola, how about you invite Duke?"

"Him?" Viola glanced at Duke and shook her head. Duke indeed had talent and had secured the third position in the elite class, but she had also realized something. While it was good to be among the top in this small circle, in the War Academy, there would be many others stronger than Duke.

Although Viola enjoyed making friends, she didn't want to compromise herself.

"Okay, let's forget it."

From a businessman's perspective, Danny did want to improve his relationship with Duke. However, as Viola thought, one more or one less wouldn't make a significant difference.

"Clark, Duke, Louisa, the three of you, wait a moment; someone wants to meet you," William said. As Duke was about to leave, he was stopped.

"It's a good thing. People from the J City Merchant Alliance. The principal arranged some sponsorship for you," William said with a hearty smile, his eyes filled with envy.

Although J City wasn't large, the J City Merchant Alliance was a prominent force. Several large enterprises in J City had come together to form it, involving various trades such as supplies, entertainment, and real estate within the city. Only the top students from each school were considered worthy of their early investments.